Lorna Luft | |
|---|---|
 Luft in 2010 | |
| Born | November 21, 1952 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | HB Studio |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, author |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Liza Minnelli (half-sister) |
Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft, the sister of Joey Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli.
Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California to Judy Garland and Garland's third husband, Sidney Luft. [1] She attended University High School in Los Angeles during her senior year and was a member of the school choir. She studied theatre at HB Studio [2] in New York City.
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(March 2021) |
Luft made her show business debut at age 11, singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" on the 1963 Christmas episode of Garland's CBS television series The Judy Garland Show . Siblings Liza Minnelli and Joey Luft also appeared. Garland sang the song "Lorna" to Luft on episode 20 of The Judy Garland Show in 1964: an original number composed by Mort Lindsey and Johnny Mercer especially for Luft at Garland's request. The song was later featured on the 2006 Garland compilation Great Day! Rare Recordings from the Judy Garland Show .
Luft soon joined the family act on a summer concert tour, the highlight of which was Garland's third and final appearance at New York's famed Palace Theatre on Broadway in 1967, two years before her mother's death. [3] In this month-long engagement, Garland "shared" the bill with Luft (then 14 years old) and Joey (12 years old). The show was recorded live and released on ABC Records as Judy Garland at Home at the Palace . [4]
Luft made her Broadway debut in 1971 at the Shubert Theatre as a replacement cast member in the musical Promises, Promises , adapted from the classic 1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment . [5] It is best known for the hit song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again".
On October 7, 1981, Luft performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, which was said to be the culmination of a lifelong dream. She starred in the 1981–82 national tour of They're Playing Our Song , and in 1982 she played Paulette Rebchuck in Grease 2 . In 1983, she played Peppermint Patty in the off-Broadway production of Snoopy! The Musical , a sequel to You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown . [6] Later that year, she costarred in Extremities with Farrah Fawcett. [7] [8]
Luft appeared as Nurse Libby Kegler on the CBS television series Trapper John, M.D. during its final season of 1985–1986. She also appeared as Patti Bristol in "Broadway Malady", a 1985 episode of Murder, She Wrote . In the episode, Luft played the daughter of Vivian Blaine, who had originated the role of Adelaide in Guys and Dolls on Broadway, while Luft would go on to play the same role in the 1992–1994 national and worldwide tours.
In 1996, Luft appeared in an Irish production of Follies in Dublin with Mary Millar, Alex Sharpe, Christine Scarry, Aidan Conway, Enda Markey, Dave Willetts and Millicent Martin. In 2002, she starred as Mama Rose in a University of Richmond school production of Gypsy.
In December 1995, Luft released a cover version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which was reworked as a "virtual duet" with Garland. Produced by Gordon Lorenz, it was issued as a CD single only in the U.K. by the Carlton Sounds label. A music video featured Luft performing the song in a studio interspersed with classic footage of Garland singing to a then-11-year-old Luft on the 1963 Christmas episode of The Judy Garland Show , all placed on the same screen. [9]
From November 2006 through January 2007, Luft performed in the U.K. premiere of Irving Berlin's White Christmas , a new stage adaptation based on the film. She reprised her role the next year, playing the Edinburgh Playhouse from November 19 to December 8, 2007, and the Wales Millennium Centre at the Donald Gordon Theatre from December 13, 2007, through January 12, 2008.
Luft appeared in four episodes of the 2007–2009 Logo animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World .
In October 2007, Luft released her debut album Lorna Luft: Songs My Mother Taught Me in the U.K. [10] Produced by Barry Manilow and Luft's husband Colin R. Freeman, the album celebrates Garland's music. To promote the album, Luft appeared on the 29th October 2007 edition of the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2. She took part in Celebrity Popmaster. In 2005, Luft toured Ireland with her stage show, Songs My Mother Taught Me. In June 2006, she surprised audiences at Carnegie Hall by performing a duet with Rufus Wainwright on the song "After You've Gone" at the end of Wainwright's tribute concert for Garland's triumphant 1961 comeback at the same venue.
Luft appeared in The Wizard Of Oz, a stage version of the movie that made Garland famous, at The Lowry in Manchester, England. She portrayed the role of the Wicked Witch of the West (played by Margaret Hamilton in the film).
In April 2009, Luft completed a successful U.K. tour of the critically acclaimed Hugh Whitemore play Pack of Lies , where she played the role of Helen Kroger, starring alongside Jenny Seagrove, Simon Shepherd, and Daniel Hill. In May 2009 she appeared in W magazine as a special guest performer for the acclaimed avant-garde Theo Adams Company's latest project, "Performance", photographed by David Sims. [11] In July 2009, she appeared at the Mermaid Theatre, London to record for the radio series Friday Night Is Music Night . Lorna Luft and Friends – A Tribute to Judy Garland also featured John Barrowman, Frances Ruffelle, and Linzi Hateley.
Between May and July 2015, Luft toured the U.K. in Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland, a show highlighting Garland's life and music. The show featured her signature songs and recreations of film scenes from her MGM years.
Luft has appeared in the films Grease 2 (1982), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), Fear Stalk (1989), 54 (1998) and My Giant (1998). She and her brother Joey made cameo appearances in the 1963 film I Could Go On Singing .
Luft is the author of the 1998 book Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir . Among its revelations is the fact that she had an affair with Barry Manilow in 1971. [12] In 2001, the book was adapted as an Emmy-winning TV miniseries titled Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows . It stars Judy Davis as the adult Judy, Tammy Blanchard as the teenage Judy, Hugh Laurie as Vincente Minnelli, Victor Garber as Sid Luft, and Marsha Mason as Ethel Gumm. Luft is the co-author, along with film historian Jeffrey Vance, of the 2018 book A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away, which she states is "a vivid account of the film classic's production, loss, and reclamation." [13]
Luft participates in events which are held by various children's and AIDS-related charities, including the annual Los Angeles AIDS Walk and The Children's Wish Foundation International. [14] Luft and her first husband Jerry Mamberg, also known as Jake Hooker, divorced in 1993. They had two children together, a son, Jesse, a daughter, Vanessa, and have four grandchildren. [15] She currently resides in Palm Springs, California, with her second husband, the British-born composer and arranger, Colin Freeman. [16] [17]
Luft was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and she finished her last chemotherapy treatment in 2013. Two years later, the U.K. tour of Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland concluded early on July 11, 2015 and she returned to the U.S. for surgical treatment following a re-emergence of the breast cancer. [18] [19]
In March 2018, Luft was diagnosed with a brain tumor after she collapsed following a performance in London. [20] Later that month, Luft underwent successful surgery to remove the tumor. [21]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Songs My Mother Taught Me | First Night Records |
| Year | Single | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Our Day Will Come" b/w "Is It Really Love At All" | Epic |
| 1978 | "Head Over Heels" b/w "I Did It All For Love" | Private Stock |
| 1981 | "Long Time" b/w "Something's Got A Hold On My Heart" | DJM Records |
| "Get It Up" b/w "A Few Dollars More" | Silver Blue Records | |
| 1984 | "Where the Boys Are" (with Village People) b/w "Prove Me Wrong" | |
| "The Whole World's Goin' Crazee" b/w "Jesse's Theme" | ||
| 1989 | "Born Again" b/w "Born Again (instrumental)" | Dessca Records |
| 1995 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (with Judy Garland) | Carlton Sounds |
| 2011 | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Silver Blue Records |
| Year | Album | Label | Songs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Grease 2: Original Soundtrack Recording | RSO |
|
| 1990 | Girl Crazy (cast soundtrack) | Elektra |
|
| Year | Song(s) | Role | Album / Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)" with Judy Garland | Lead vocal | |
| "Jamboree Jones" | |||
| "Together (Wherever We Go)" | |||
| 1979 | "Accidents Never Happen" with Blondie | Back vocal | |
| "Slow Motion" | |||
| 1980 | [Several tracks] with Hilly Michaels | ||
| 1984 | [Several tracks] with Adrian Zmed |
| |
| 1991 | "A Gift of Hope" | Lead vocal |
|
| 1992 | "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" |
| |
| 1996 | "Not Even Nominated" (Medley) |
| |
| 1998 | [Several tracks] with Rick Derringer | Back vocal |
|
| 2007 | "After You've Gone" with Rufus Wainwright | Lead vocal | |
| 2011 | "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" with Matt Dusk |
| |
| 2019 | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with Randy Rainbow |
| |
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows | Buena Vista |
| Judy Garland: The Concert Years | Kultur Video | |
| 2006 | Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl | Image Entertainment |
| 2007 | Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium | Geffen |
| 2009 | Lorna Luft: Live in Oz | Ovation |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | I Could Go On Singing | Girl on Boat | Uncredited |
| 1982 | Grease 2 | Paulette Rebchuck | |
| 1984 | Where the Boys Are '84 | Carole Singer | |
| 1989 | Fear Stalk | Doris | Television film |
| 1998 | My Giant | Joanne | |
| 54 | Elaine's Patron | ||
| 2017 | The Fabulous Allan Carr | Herself – Interview | Documentary |
| 2024 | Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story | Herself – Interview | Documentary |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Love, American Style | Margie Currie | Segment: "Love and the Blue Plate Special" |
| 1975 | McCloud | Marlene Morgan | Episode: "Park Avenue Pirates" |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Patti Bristol | Episode: "Broadway Malady" |
| The Twilight Zone | Sheila Cunningham | Segment: "Children's Zoo" | |
| 1985–86 | Trapper John, M.D. | Nurse Libby Kegler | Main cast, 19 episodes (Season 7) |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Christine Matthews | Episode: "The Shrine" |
| 1988 | Hooperman | Peaches Markowitz | Episode: "The Naked and the Dead" |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Patsy Dumont | Episode: "If the Shoe Fits" |
| 1995 | The Nanny | Cousin Susan Rosenberg | Episode: "The Unkindest Cut" |
| Caroline in the City | Travel Agent Mindi | Episode: "Caroline and the Christmas Break" | |
| 2001 | Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows | — | Miniseries; co-executive producer |
| 2007–09 | Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World | Joanna | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Sean Saves the World | Francine | Episode: "The Wrath of Sean" |
Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, and vaudevillian. She rose to international fame as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and became known for her expressive voice, emotional depth, and versatility in both musical and dramatic roles. In addition to her film career, she achieved success as a recording artist and concert performer, and has received a Golden Globe Award, two Grammy Awards, a Special Tony Award and was one of twelve people in history to receive an Academy Juvenile Award.
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Tony Awards. She is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT having received two honorary Grammy Awards. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. Her persona and her style has cemented her as a gay icon.
Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 American Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in the spring of 1904. The film stars Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart and Joan Carroll. The film was adapted by Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe from a series of short stories by Sally Benson originally published in The New Yorker magazine called "The Kensington Stories" and later in novel form as Meet Me in St. Louis. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met Garland on the set and later married her. Tony Award-winning designer Lemuel Ayers served as the film's art director.
Michael DeVinko Jr., known as Mickey Deans, was an American musician and entrepreneur. He is best known as the fifth husband and widower of actress and singer Judy Garland.
Mame is a musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Originally titled My Best Girl, it is based on the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the 1956 Broadway play of the same name by Lawrence and Lee. A period piece set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death." Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.
The Boy from Oz is an Australian jukebox musical based on the life of singer and songwriter Peter Allen, featuring songs written by him. The book commissioned for the musical is by Nick Enright, based on Stephen MacLean's 1996 biography of Allen. Premiering in Australia in 1998 starring Todd McKenney, a revised version of the musical, written by Martin Sherman, opened on Broadway in 2003, with Hugh Jackman in the title role.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In 2007, ASCAP ranked it the third most performed Christmas song during the preceding five years that had been written by ASCAP members. In 2004 it finished at No. 76 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs rankings of the top tunes in North American cinema.
"The Man That Got Away" is a torch song written for the 1954 version of A Star Is Born. The song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ira Gershwin, is performed in the film by Judy Garland. "The Man That Got Away" was ranked #11 by the American Film Institute on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 27th Academy Awards but lost to "Three Coins in the Fountain".
Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Lonely Symphony ", finishing 10th. The song became a UK Top 30 hit.
Roger Edens was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "golden era of Hollywood".
"Don't Rain on My Parade" is a song from the 1964 musical Funny Girl, further popularized by the show's 1968 film adaptation. Written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, the song was first performed by Barbra Streisand on both stage and screen. The song ranked 46 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows is a 2001 American two-part biographical television miniseries based on the 1998 book Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir written by Lorna Luft, the daughter of legendary singer-actress Judy Garland. The miniseries was directed by Robert Allan Ackerman and originally broadcast in two parts on ABC on February 25 and 26, 2001.
Connie Champagne, née Kelly Kay Brock,, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She won the SF Weekly Wammie Award for Outstanding Cabaret Performer. She is known for performing the character of actress Judy Garland in productions including Christmas With the Crawfords in 2001 and Imagine Judy Garland: An Evening With Connie Champagne in 2003. She won a 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award (BACTC) for her role in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Despite fierce competition by acclaimed Broadway actors including Phylicia Rashad, Champagne also earned Los Angeles' Ovation Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in A Musical, Judy's Scary Little Christmas, directed by Kay Cole. Specializing in numerous styles of music and theater including cabaret, swing, jazz, rock and roll, and musical theater, Champagne has performed in numerous venues throughout the US and Europe.
End of the Rainbow is a musical drama by Peter Quilter, which focuses on Judy Garland in the months leading up to her death in 1969. After a premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2005, the show has played on the West End in London and a Broadway production opened at the Belasco Theatre in 2012. The award-winning 2019 film Judy starring Renée Zellweger is a screen adaptation of the play for which Zellweger won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Judy Garland at Home at the Palace: Opening Night is the sixth live album by the American actress, singer, and vaudevillian Judy Garland. It was released on August 15, 1967 by ABC Records. The album peaked at number 174 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's content consists of a live performance at the Palace Theatre in New York City, held by Garland. The album features an array of her best-known songs, including "Over the Rainbow", "The Trolley Song", and "The Man That Got Away". It also includes duets with Garland's children, Lorna Luft and Joey Luft, adding a personal touch to the concert.
Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace was a concert presented by Liza Minnelli at the Palace Theatre on Broadway from December 8, 1999 through January 2, 2000. The show consisted of songs featured in films directed by her father, Vincente Minnelli (1903–1986).
Judy is a 2019 biographical drama film based on the life of American entertainer Judy Garland. Directed by Rupert Goold, it is an adaptation of the Olivier- and Tony-nominated West End and Broadway play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter. The film stars Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, and Michael Gambon.
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